BREAKING NEWS: The president posted on Truth Social on Wednesday evening to say that Israeli hostages held in Gaza would soon be released

President Trump has said he may visit the Middle East on Sunday as negotiators were “very close” to a deal to end the war in Gaza

The budget director is waging war on bureaucracy, the second coming of former Doge chief Elon Musk

President Macron will be able to name a new prime minister within 48 hours, Sébastien Lecornu said, as he expressed hope that France could avoid snap parliamentary elections

Jewish students can’t allow this hatred to become the norm | ✍️ Louis Danker

Dolly Parton assured fans “I ain’t dead yet” after her sister provoked alarm by pleading for prayers for the country singer

The US government has introduced 107% tariffs on imports of Italian pasta, which producers say could damage their livelihoods

Marine Le Pen has compared President Macron’s allies to rodeo riders as his outgoing prime minister tried to find a way out of the country’s political crisis before a Wednesday evening deadline

President Trump has called for the imprisonment of JB Pritzker, the Democratic governor of Illinois, as hundreds of National Guard troops prepare to deploy on the streets of Chicago

The countdown is on! The UK's first ever series of Celebrity Traitors kicks off tonight at 9pm. You can follow live updates on our blog, where we'll guide you through the opening episode — a whopping hour and a quarter of treachery and sartorial prowess ⬇️

The sister of an Israeli hostage has called Greta Thunberg a “joke” after the climate activist mistakenly confused her brother, Evyatar David, with a Palestinian prisoner

The Portuguese striker has become football’s first billionaire, according to the financial news website Bloomberg

Despite his lobbying campaign, the US president is still seen as an outsider in the race — although stranger things have happened

A British long-distance swimmer has described how he fought off a shark off the coast of Los Angeles in the middle of the night

The highest-paying accounts may not be the best option if you don’t want to have to keep moving your money. Check the small print ⬇️

A 29-year-old Uber driver is suspected of starting a fire in Los Angeles that became an inferno which killed a dozen residents

The authors of Wild Guide Scotland choose the places to go for a perfect post-hike pint 🍺

Officials in Downing Street have blocked publication of a report warning that the collapse of tropical rainforests could push up food prices in British supermarkets

The former FBI director and target of the US president’s ire denies two charges against him. But what is James Comey accused of?

The poet and author on how love would be better without fictional concepts, the words of Louis Armstrong and dishing up justice while working at a Little Chef

The Manchester synagogue terrorist phoned 999 to say he had “killed two Jews in the name of the Islamic State” moments after the attack, it has emerged

Drew Hoffman and Ross Evans had planned a lavish celebration in Edinburgh, but when Hoffman failed to get a visa and was stuck in Los Angeles, they decided to go ahead anyway

Lord Macdonald said Beijing would be ‘rubbing its hands with glee’ over the trial of Christopher Berry and Chris Cash not going ahead

ICYMI: Intelligence agencies fear China’s United Front spy network has sought to influence Irish politicians and exploited a residency scheme

The Conservative leader came out swinging at conference after her ‘lost year’ with bold policy announcements — but will it be enough to revive her fortunes?

🔺BREAKING: Pair jailed for trying to burgle Jane Birkin’s flat days after her death

Financial Policy Committee calls big tech valuations ‘stretched’, also sounding alarm over independence of Federal Reserve and global government debt levels

Audit Scotland’s damning report on the ‘Promise’ five years on said the policy was confusing and shortcomings in planning and strategy posed a ‘significant delivery risk’

Negotiations have hit a sticking point as Israel balks at the release of prisoners held for years, including the ‘Palestinian Mandela’

Investment columnist Imogen Tew considers whether it's time to sell her BAE shares after they delivered a 30% return in just 6 months ⬇️

Flying over the handlebars at 35km/h was not the narrative arc our writer was seeking, but the Andalusian adventure’s beauty lives on in his bones

There was outrage when Dr Rahmeh Aladwan, who was seen making a ‘slit your throat’ gesture towards Jews in a video, was allowed to keep practising

A chatbot says the Conservative Party has ‘learnt very little from its recent collapse’ as her image — and power suits — haunt the conference

There’s one issue that’s key to a Tory revival. Polls suggest the Conservatives are finished but new findings point to voters willing to listen to them on the economy | ✍️ Daniel Finkelstein

Prime minister will speak to police about what else can be done to protect the Jewish community and make them feel safer after the October 7 protests

🔺 NEW: Myanmar junta ‘kills 40’ at village festival in paraglider bombing

Nurturing approaches and restorative practices — when perpetrators and victims are brought together for a conversation — were widespread with three quarters of staff saying these techniques were deployed by their schools

Henry Bird looks at how Juntos Farm created the House of Harvest — and became central to the future of farming on the island and beyond

Freddie Tomlinson, heir to a £525 million fortune, acquired Mone’s Georgian-fronted property, unlocking the sale after frozen assets were partially released

A senior Scottish nurse died after being kicked in the chest by her horse. Sam Young, 58, suffered a ruptured heart in what a coroner last week ruled was an accident

Katie Glass worries that enjoying porn makes her a hypocrite. Can erotica ever be female friendly? But then she gets the chance to make her own film in Italy

🔺NEW: Outgoing French PM raises hope of a deal to stave off snap elections ⬇️

Parents report improvements in speech and mood regulation, but more evidence is needed on the vitamin B9 derivative’s effects

🔺LIVE: Conservative Party conference: Kemi Badenoch to announce ‘totemic’ tax cut 🔓 Free to read. Follow the latest ⬇️

NHS chiefs and Treasury at loggerheads over who will pay pharmaceutical companies more money for the most up-to-date and effective medicines

The presenter and author on Celebrity Traitors, coming out to her grandma and why she hasn’t changed her hairstyle for 40 years

Dolly Parton’s sister alarms fans after asking for prayers for singer ⬇️

While it’s more than the sum of its patties, Columbus, Ohio, makes a case for being the home of the hamburger. Felicity Cloake rolls up her sleeves and gets stuck in

For the first time visitors can walk the passage thought to have allowed emperors to visit gladiators in their gym before sealing their fate — and sneaking out unseen

When Adam Silverstein relocated from London to Colorado he had no idea how much money and effort would be needed to take his beloved pet with him